Basic Combat Mechanics

Table of contents

Table of contents

• Basic Combat Mechanics
  • The Scout-First Rule
  • Understanding Enemy Strengths
    • Heavy Armor Enemies
    • Archers
    • Mages
    • Two-Handed Weapon Users
    • Shield Users
    • Light Armor/Unarmored Bandits
    • Wolves (and other pack animals)
    • Mudcrabs
    • Bears
    • Sabercats
  • Quick Reference: Enemy Weaknesses Table
  • Combat Priority: Kill Order
    • Step 1: Deal with Ranged Enemies First
    • Step 2: Eliminate Light Armor Enemies
    • Step 3: Engage Heavy Armor Last
    • Step 4: Manage Your Stamina
  • Weight Matters: Mass Effect
    • Heavy Armor
    • Evasion (Light Armor)
    • Clothing
  • Combat Flow: Beginner Tactics
    • Melee Combat Approach
    • Ranged Combat Approach
    • Magic Combat Approach
  • Advanced Tactics
    • High Ground Advantage
    • Kiting (Baiting Enemies)
    • Gear Tempering
    • Come Back Later
    • Use Followers
  • Key Principles
  • Next Steps

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Basic Combat Mechanics

Combat in Wildlander is deadlier and faster than vanilla Skyrim. Everyone—you, enemies, wildlife—hits harder and dies faster. One wrong move can kill you.

This is not a game where you can wade in, attack randomly, and win through attrition. You must plan, scout, position strategically, and understand your enemies’ strengths and weaknesses.

The difference between survival and death is knowledge and tactics.

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The Scout-First Rule

Scout before you fight. Always.

Before engaging any enemy:

1. Look around - What enemies are present? How many?
2. Listen - Use your ears to locate unseen enemies (everything makes noise)
3. Use Instincts (default: Right Alt) - See enemy levels and equipment from range
4. Ask yourself:
   • What are they wearing?
   • What are they wielding?
   • Where is the high ground?
   • Where are the archers?
   • Where are the mages?
   • How will they try to kill me?

If you don’t scout, you will die wondering what happened.

Instincts (Right Alt) - All three combat approaches (melee, ranged, magic) can use Instincts to identify hidden or distant targets. This reveals their level, equipment, and position—critical for planning your engagement. See Keybindings for the full keybind reference.

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Understanding Enemy Strengths

Know what makes each enemy dangerous—and remember that the same rules apply to you. If you’re a mage, you’re a glass cannon. If you wear heavy armor, you’re slow. Understanding your own strengths and weaknesses is just as critical as understanding your enemies’.

Heavy Armor Enemies

• Strength: Very tough, hard to kill, resist damage
• Weakness: Slow movement, vulnerable during power attacks
• Counter: Circle behind them, backstab, dodge their attacks and counter-attack

Archers

• Strength: Deadly at range, can kill you before you reach them
• Weakness: Useless in close combat, long reload time (especially crossbows), wooden bows break with a single melee hit, backup weapon is a dagger
• Counter: Use cover (rocks, trees, buildings) to get closer—archers will advance toward you if you’re in cover. Once they close distance, they’re vulnerable to melee. Use Blur spell if available as a mage to reduce damage taken while approaching.

Mages

• Strength: Deadly at range, can kill you quickly with spells from a distance
• Weakness: Glass cannons—very low health, die quickly to focused attacks despite moving fast
• Counter: Treat mages as priority targets. Use spells or crossbow from range to take them out first before they cast devastating spells. Do not let them stay alive in a prolonged fight.

Two-Handed Weapon Users

• Strength: Massive damage, power attacks knock you down
• Weakness: Slow attack speed, long recovery time between attacks
• Counter: Side-step dodge the attack, counter-attack during their recovery window

Shield Users

• Strength: Block all frontal attacks successfully
• Weakness: Can’t block from behind
• Counter: Circle to their side/behind, use magic or ranged attacks to bypass shield

Light Armor/Unarmored Bandits

• Strength: Fast, mobile, high damage output
• Weakness: Low health, die quickly to focused attacks
• Counter: Kill quickly with ranged attacks or catch them off-guard

Wolves (and other pack animals)

• Strength: Hunt in numbers, attempt to flank
• Weakness: Single wolves always retreat; vulnerable when caught alone
• Counter: Focus all attacks on one target; use terrain/cover to prevent flanking

Mudcrabs

• Strength: Power attacks knock you down
• Weakness: Hunches up right before power attacking (tells you when to dodge)
• Counter: Watch for the hunch animation, dodge the power attack

Bears

• Strength: Massive damage, very tough, equivalent to a two-handed heavy armor wielder
• Weakness: Slow movement, vulnerable during and after power attacks
• Counter: Dodge their attacks and counter-attack during recovery, circle to avoid charges, do not engage early game

Sabercats

• Strength: Excellent camouflage, ambush predators that will jumpscare you
• Weakness: Once engaged, they’re fast but fragile compared to bears
• Counter: Scout carefully and listen for growls; use ranged attacks when possible; if ambushed, get distance and heal immediately

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Quick Reference: Enemy Weaknesses Table

Use this table to quickly identify how to counter each enemy type:

For other enemy types, check the Bestiary section for specialist weapons, spell requirements, and damage resistances.

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Combat Priority: Kill Order

Your engagement strategy should always follow this priority:

Step 1: Deal with Ranged Enemies First

• Archers and mages can kill you from outside melee range
• Locate them first during scouting
• Use cover and positioning to minimize arrow/spell damage
• Kill them before closing on melee enemies

Step 2: Eliminate Light Armor Enemies

• They’re fragile and die quickly
• If you can kill them fast, fewer enemies to deal with overall
• They’re mobile and fast, so catch them early or they escape

Step 3: Engage Heavy Armor Last

• They’re tough and take the longest to kill
• Use hit-and-run tactics (attack, retreat, heal, repeat)
• Don’t commit to prolonged melee with them until they’re weakened

Step 4: Manage Your Stamina

• Remember: power attacks cost massive stamina and slow you down
• At early levels, avoid power attacks entirely
• Use light attacks and positioning instead
• Block only when necessary (it costs stamina)

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Weight Matters: Mass Effect

Your equipped gear weight significantly impacts combat. This includes armor, weapons, and clothing—everything you wear counts toward your total mass.

Heavy Armor

Disadvantages:

• Slower movement speed
• Higher magicka costs to cast spells
• Higher stamina cost for attacks
• Louder (harder to sneak)

Advantages:

• Better resistance to stagger and knockback
• Higher chance to stagger/knockback enemies
• High armor rating (physical defense)
• Charge mechanics are more effective

Evasion (Light Armor)

Advantages:

• Faster movement speed
• Lower magicka/stamina costs
• Quieter (easier to sneak)
• More responsive combat

Disadvantages:

• Less protection against stagger/knockback
• Lower armor rating
• Takes more hits to survive

Clothing

Clothing has no armor rating but offers unique benefits:

Advantages:

• Fastest movement speed
• Lowest spell casting costs
• Quietest (best for sneaking)

Disadvantages:

• Zero protection (no armor value)
• Vulnerable to all damage
• Dies fastest in combat

Clothing adds weight to your total mass, so watch your total load—even casual robes add up if you’re carrying heavy gear.

Early Game Strategy: Evasion armor is usually better than pure clothing for combat. Use clothing for sneaking, social situations, or magic-focused builds where you won’t be tanking hits.

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Combat Flow: Beginner Tactics

Here’s a simple combat rotation for new players:

Melee Combat Approach

1. Scout first - Use Instincts from range
2. Position - Get high ground or use cover to control engagement
3. Target priority - Archers → Light armor → Heavy armor
4. Engage cautiously - Use light attacks and blocking only; avoid power attacks
5. Manage stamina - Don’t let it drop too low; retreat to recover
6. Disengage if overwhelmed - Fall back, heal, and reassess

Ranged Combat Approach

1. Scout hidden - Use Instincts to identify targets before being spotted (use sneak if you have perked into it)
2. Find cover - Position behind rocks/trees to avoid melee
3. Snipe priority targets - Archers and mages first
4. Keep mobile - Don’t stay in one spot; move frequently
5. Fallback plan - If melee reach you, switch to backup weapon or retreat

Magic Combat Approach

1. Keep distance - Mages die fast in close combat (use sneak if you have perked into it for positioning advantage; use invisibility + sneak if you have Illusion perks)
2. Manage magicka - Watch magicka pool; spell costs multiply if low
3. Use weaknesses - Fire on frost enemies, shock on water enemies, etc.
4. Utility spells - Bound weapons, Mage Armor, damage buffs when available
5. Escape route - Always have a fallback (invisibility, teleport, or flee)

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Advanced Tactics

High Ground Advantage

• Position yourself above enemies - On rocks, hills, or structures
• Enemies must path to you, which takes time and leaves them vulnerable
• Use this time to attack from range or cast spells
• Perfect for archers, mages, and ranged characters

Kiting (Baiting Enemies)

• Lead stronger enemies toward guards or other NPCs
• Let them handle the enemy while you recover
• No shame in using the environment to your advantage

Gear Tempering

• Temper/enchant your equipment to improve effectiveness
• Hire a blacksmith or mage to do it for you if you can’t
• Better gear = more survivable fights

Come Back Later

• Enemies don’t scale with your level in Wildlander
• If content is too hard, recruit followers or gain levels
• Return with better skills, perks, and gear
• There is no shame in tactical retreat

Use Followers

• Followers are force multipliers - They tank hits while you attack
• Recruit followers for difficult content
• Numbers matter: more allies = easier fights

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Key Principles

1. Scout before fighting - Knowledge prevents death
2. Plan your engagement - Don’t wade in randomly
3. Prioritize targets - Kill ranged/light armor first
4. Manage resources - Stamina, health, magicka are finite
5. Use positioning - High ground, cover, and flanking win fights
6. Don’t tank hits - Dodge, sidestep, retreat when low on health
7. Know when to run - Tactical retreat beats death
8. Use your environment - Leverage terrain, guards, and features

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Next Steps

You now understand how to approach combat tactically and counter different enemy types. Continue your learning:

1. Read Carry Weight Management - Learn how weight affects your combat mobility and gear choices
2. Read Camping & Campfire Perks - Set up efficient camps and use perks to your advantage
3. Read Armor Resistances, Penetration & Weapon Types - Deepen your understanding of damage types and resistances

Remember: Combat mastery comes from planning, not reflexes. Scout first, think tactically, and execute strategically.

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